


Real or Not Real?

by victorfrankenwhale



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Bisexual Mad Hatter | Jefferson, Fluff, Forehead Touching, Gay Victor Frankenstein | Dr. Whale, M/M, Post-Regina's First Dark Curse, Rare Pairings, Reunions, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-08
Updated: 2018-04-08
Packaged: 2019-04-20 10:21:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14258895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/victorfrankenwhale/pseuds/victorfrankenwhale
Summary: Victor had lost everything long before being ripped away from his land by the Evil Queen’s curse. Though he was alive, Victor was sure he’d never be truly happy again.





	Real or Not Real?

**Author's Note:**

> Written for two different prompts:
> 
> 1\. “Mad whale where victor didn’t realize that Jefferson and grace had been also taken to storybrooke by the curse as well and sees them for the first time after the curse is broken”  
> 2\. Mad Whale + “This is real, isn’t it? And if it’s not, I don’t want to wake up from this.”

Victor had lost everything long before being ripped away from his land by the Evil Queen’s curse. Everyone he had ever loved had either died or left him – his parents, Gerhardt, Jefferson… although he wasn’t entirely sure what had happened to Jefferson. The two had been going on portal hopping adventures, and Victor had felt happier than he had in years, before Jefferson had disappeared without a word.

The next years were cold and dark, before the curse hit, and Victor spent the next 28 years as Dr. Whale. He didn’t love his cursed self, but living as a womanizer was probably better than being the guy who was responsible for the death of his entire family. Then the curse broke and all of Victor’s memories came flooding back. He’d wanted to die, but Ruby – wait, Red Riding Hood – had stopped him and saved his life.

Though he was alive, Victor was sure he’d never be truly happy again.

One windy day he was walking down the street, his hands shoved into his coat pockets. It was cold, but nothing could ever be as cold as his home realm. At least this place wasn’t entirely monochrome. ‘The Land Without Colour’, Jefferson had called Victor’s home.

“Papa, I think I want a new guest for out tea parties,” a little girl from across the street said.

“What kind of animal are you thinking, Gracie?” The man, apparently the girl’s father, replied. Wait… Victor _knew_ that voice. It was the voice he had dreamed of hearing – even when he was cursed – but was sure he never would again.

“Jeff?” Victor shouted without thinking, seeing the man and his daughter stop in their tracks on the sidewalk across the street.

“Doc?” Victor could see Jefferson’s huge grin and felt his heart melt. It took everything he had to stop himself from crying.

“Jeff!”

The two men ran towards each other, meeting in the middle of the road and throwing their arms around each other. Jefferson basically lifted Victor off the ground for a moment, something he would often do in the past that made Victor annoyed, but he could hardly be annoyed right now. Once their embrace had ended, Victor and Jefferson just stared at each other for what felt like an eternity.

“Um, Papa? You should probably get off the road…” Grace tugging on his coat sleeve brought Jefferson back into reality. Jefferson blinked and nodded, grabbing Victor’s hand and leading him over to the sidewalk where he and Grace had been walking before.

“Jeff, I had no idea you were here in Storybrooke,” Victor said, and Jefferson swore he could see tears welling in the scientist’s eyes. “I thought you were… you disappeared…”

“Doc, I’m so sorry, I never should have left you like that…”

“No, don’t worry about it. We were young and stupid back then, but we’ve found each other again.”

Jefferson smiled, looking like he was about to cry too. “I love you so much, Victor.” He rested his forehead against Victor’s, closing his eyes. “I’ll never leave you again.”

“I love you too, Jefferson.”

“Papa? I didn’t know you knew Dr. Whale,” Grace said, once again pulling her father out of a trance.

Jefferson raised an eyebrow. “Your cursed name?”

“Yeah.”

“Dumb name.”

“Shut up.”

Both of them laughed.

“Gracie, this is Victor Frankenstein. We knew each other a very long time ago, before you were born.”

Little Grace held her hand out to Victor, seeming very grown up despite her small stature. “My name’s Grace March, I’m Jefferson’s daughter. It’s nice to meet you.”

Victor took Grace’s hand and shook it. “It’s nice to meet you too, Grace.”

“Well, Doc, we were just on our way home to have some tea. Would you like to join us?”

“I’d love to.”

* * *

 

Later, Victor and Jefferson were curled up on the couch in front of the fire, Victor’s head resting on Jefferson’s chest.

“This is real, isn’t it?” Victor asked, sleepily. He’d dreamed of finding Jefferson so many times, so who was too say this wasn’t just another dream? “If it’s not, I don’t want to wake up from this.”

“It’s very real, Doc,” Jefferson replied, with a kiss placed on Victor’s forehead. “You’ll never be alone again.”


End file.
